of Ll

LI, Yuanqing

1989. "Hanizu Minjian Gequ de Chuantong Fenlei" (Tradit ional classificatio n of Hani fo lk-songs), H onghe Qunzhong Wenhua,

/989. n'2 .

LI, Yuansong (ed.)

1989. Hanizu de Hoba (The Hani I:kJim songs). Kunming: Yunnan Renmin Olubanshe. 221 p.

MAO, Youquan

1984. "Hanizu de Oluantong Yueqi" (Traditional musical instruments of the Hani), Minzu Wenhua , 1984,

1986a. "Hani zu Minjian Sh ige Chutan" (Preliminary study of Hani

"sung poems"). H onghe Minw Y uwen Guji Yanjiu , 1986, n'5.

1986b. "U.letan I-lanizu Fengsu Ge" (B r ief account of traditi ona l Hani songs), in YWl1Ian MinjiCIlI W ellY; YUGlIliuXintall (Nouvelles Enquetes sltr I' /1jsroire et les Arts populaires du Y

Kunming : Yunnan Minzu O\Ubanshe.

1987a, "Shilun Hanizu Kuj ia Ge" (About the sad song accompanying the departure of a bride among the Hani), HO 'lghe Qunz hong Wen/ma, /987, nO].

1987b. "Hanizu Minjian Shige Fenlei " (Classification of popular poems and songs of the Hmi ), Sixiang Zhanxian, /987 , n0 4.

218

CHARAKO BaLl

A brief

Ih e language of the birds in Nepal

Corneille J est

In the middl e hiUs of Nepal, the common word for me song of the bird is boli. chiribhi is an onomatopoeic word used for the twittering of small birds (chiribiri garnu: to sing) like sparrows or s wallows; for larger birds one would say kariiunc. In Nepal birdsongs are often associated with hwnan feelings. They may also be interpre ted by the fanner as a signal or a warning. and may be im itated by the hun ter for capturing fowl [ef CD.

15). Birdsongs are often thought as narrating a story. Such is the case of the sad duet between the nyallli and kllfJlllrke birds [ef CD 16]1 :

nyauli chari byauli

km)wrke chara byaula

sabal

mi/ijuli

aphnei g)/Orma jau/a ...

The female bird

(isJ the bride

the m:lle bird

(isJlhe bridegroom all the birds having :lSsembled

let each of us go

their house!

I nyaufi

(Nep.): great Him alayan barbel,

The greal Himalayan barbel sings

the month of cail (March-April) when people do not have

food

10

eal and

the stores a re emply"(GBM).According

dictionary of Nepali,

has different meanings: a type of bird,

a musICal instrument:

(when one presses on a bagpipe,

sound

Knthm.1ndu, Royal Nepal

2040 BS/1982:755a), klahurkt (Nep.), blue throated barbet,

A brightly coloured green bird with a red forehead and a blue

In Kumon, the Hurkyas. a cas

of bards, sing a repertoire called nyauli which recall the Sldness of lovers who are separll.led (see F. BemMe :

Le chant du monde CNR 274 1080, Compacdislc).

219

Gyendra Bahadur Rana told me the following story concerning the nyau,U and the klltlUlrke:

"A long time ago, when the gods lived on earth with the humans, a young girl left home without the pennission of her parents. She did not accept her fate of being married without her consent. Her parents were very upset and cursed her; she could never go back to her mother's house.

She died and was reborn as a nyallli and her love r became the kUlhurke bird. In her bird's life she wanted

return

her mother's home, but the kldhurke bird told her

wait as she could only go if she was requested by her parents. This is the reason why. along the river. one can hear :

"nyauli, nyau/i", I am sad. I am sad!, and her lover answeri ng: "paJ.:h- pakh-pakh" Wait! wait! wait!"

The son g of the n)latdi is also assoc iated with the weedin g of maize. During the month of asar (May-June) a song which mentions the nyauli is accompanied with a rhythm produced by t'NO dlrol, ritual drums.

The Nepalese are fond of the "voice of the birds". The Newars have often kept birds as pets. They were put in a cage and one can remember the merchants in Asan tol. in Kathmandu, listening to bird song s in the early morn ing hours. The lorichari. the Hima layan gold finch, Cardueli.f .tpiroides "the bird which eats mustard seeds" (lorj). are kept in cages. They sing melod ious songs in karrik-munsjr (October - November). Sometimes. ballat. quai l s. Turnix sp., are also kept in cages above shop entrances.

The bi rdsongs are unde rs tood as a signal for iaoning activities: The kaplllllpakyo, the Indian cuckoo. Cu cuJus micropterus. gives Lhe signal for sowing maize . It is also called hakupakll and ind i cates that Lhe small be rries such as aishalu wild raspberries, or matsaino (Comaria nepaiensis) are ri pe.

The kagalkui, crested serpent eag le, Spi lornis che ela. caUs the rain with its song "sup j-supi".

The phapar chara, hoopoe. Upupa epops, signals that the buckwheat, phapar is ready to be harvested.

220

The /.:arang kw"ung, crane. Crus virgo, signals that the pumpkins are rip e.

Other birds are always on alert and warn people in case of danger.

Thus. selO jureli, the white-cheeked bulbul, Pycnonotus leucogenys. emits a "Ie-te-le" when a leopard approaches houses.

TheJampuchare, the red-biUed blue magpie, Cissa erythrorhyncha.

cries and attacks leopards, jackals and cats.

The cibe, drongo. DicrllTUS sp. , emits "chibe yoki cllibe yoki" in the presence of leopards.

Hunting is practiced by fanners, and the most skilled attract fowl by imitating their song. The chakura. partridge female. AJeCloris chllkar, is called by imitating the song of lhe male "tok-tok-t ok ". The /uije, the jungle fowl, Gallus gal/us, is called with "lwkorik kokori!:."; the female answers "kotkotlwrkota"_

Titra, th e black partridge, Francolinllsjrallco/irlUs. is called with "ti rarililri" or the ca ll of the ma le, "Ieng tellg r arara".

The dokur. the tunle dove, Streptopelia orientalis, is attracted by the song

"dokurkur kur'.

Reference:

Fleming R.L. Sr, RL. Fleming J r,

1976. Birds of Nepul. Kalhmandu, (publi shed by the authors).

.... _ ^{. . -}

( ^.

l _...

" _{_."} ^. _.

221